The cost of adopting a cat

Buying a purebred cat from a pet store or a cat breeder often involves thousands of dollars, especially if you are purchasing an imported or “exotic” breed. However, if you don’t want to break your budget, you can always look into adopting a cat.

What are adoption fees?

If you are looking into adopting a cat from an animal shelter or a pet adoption agency, you might be required to pay an “adoption fee” or make a donation to their organisation.

This money covers the costs for the animal’s care during their time at the shelter, including vaccinations, spaying or neutering. Most animal shelters and pet rescue groups are not funded by the government or a corporation, therefore they rely on the adoption fee to provide continuous support for homeless animals.

How much are adoption fees?

The fees for cat adoption are not that steep and are usually under $200, depending on the age or breed of the cat.

Some animal organisations charge more for the adoption of a female cat, because spaying costs more than neutering. Kittens are also more expensive than mature cats because younger felines need more vaccination and treatment compared to older ones.

There are sometimes instances when an animal shelter would offer a discount to people wanting to adopt cats, mostly when their shelters are filled to capacity. The discounts are typically incentives to encourage more people to adopt, and free up space for other animals to be rescued.

The money that you pay for your new feline companion will be used to continue the operations of the shelter, allowing them to take in more homeless cats in the future.

There are instances when people offer their cats for adoption without a fee. Most of the time, these people are moving to a distant location or even overseas and are no longer able to take care of their cats anymore.